"Magic" is a product of neither legends nor fairy tales. It has become a technology of reality for nearly a century. Various countries in the world are locked in a race in nurturing Magicians.

Shiba Tatsuya is an honor student without magic capability at First High School, a magic high school along with his sister who happens to be the top student among the freshmen. What will happen to him? How will he live his school life where he is one of the many reserves in the school looked down upon by the chosen magical students?

魔法科高校の劣等生魔法科高校の劣等生 入学編魔法科高校的劣等生마법과고교의 열등생A Magic Senior High School's Low-Ranked StudentA Poorly Performing Student of a Magic High SchoolMahouka Koukou no Rettousei: Nyuugaku-henThe Irregular at Magic High SchoolThe Irregular at Magic High School: Enrollment ArcThe Irregular of a Magic High SchoolThe Poor Performing Student of a Magic High School

Those who says its overrated, knows he/she seriously can't comprehend what going on while reading, maybe you wouldn't read one piece or naruto if its in written form rather than drawings. This is much more interesting than looking for one piece,(useless whitebeard that can't be the pirate king since he's weak)

Well, if you have read durara, index and railgun. This should be up in your reading list.If not and much more of a muscle-head then stick to one piece and narutards(at least he has hinata).

Both the characters and plot were pretty cliche and trope-filled (Mary Sue guy protagonist, mind control repercussions kind of shallow and unexplored etc.) However, the reason why I'm giving such a high rating is for the worldbuilding. I like how they explained the mechanics behind their "modern" magic with a (somewhat) scientific basis which by itself already places it way above all the other futuristic magic shounens which don't bother to even abide basic physics for the extra boost of realism / immersion in the setting. However, I'm a pretty big fan of detailed worldbuilding in settings, so if you don't share my enthusiasm for detailed alternate worlds, you might not think it's that cool.

A minor thing I was annoyed at was the female uniforms. They look impractical (skin tight bodycon dress, mesh skirt thing and teensy-tiny bolero that's too short to button up) and seem to be there pretty much for fanservice.

For those who are concerned about the sorta incest-y vibe, I didn't really find it that bothersome. It's way less tame than Oreimo anyhow, so don't let that stop you from reading.

This manga has good graphics, a interesting setting of magic academy in a futuristic world and a hero shrouded in mystery, so everything to lure you in. Sadly the hero, a (emotionless) Mary Sue, proves to be quickly annoying, and most of what happens makes very little sense. For example, the hero developed a unique secret skill that automatically breaks any magic of others (so quite the hot stuff), which consists is casting two spells at once, which could be done by anyone, but for some mysterious reason no one else ever thought about it (and they don't try to do it either after learning about it). The other characters are empty shells (stereotype swordgirl or brash guy), with strangely all the girls falling for the hero for no reason (his own sister included, who is a creepy yandere). Could be alright if it arose to some funny situations, but fun is also something the manga lacks.

Overall, it's a very mediocre read, with much cliche, non-sense and a perfectly boring hero.

Unique plot (but NOT setting) BUT tends to dump too much info at once. These explanations also takes some time to understand, which to be honest, becomes tiring after a few times. Maybe some people just skip over it, but isn't that what's supposed to make this story different from other magic stories (how their world works)? I believe being concise is what the writer lacks. And what's up with the fan service and incest-like stuff Downgrades the whole thing.

The incestuous vibe between the siblings troubles me a bit but all in all this is a good manga. The technical stuff may be too complicated and overly detailed but I think that's part of the good points if you're not the type to get impatient quickly.

And yeah, just like gundamgundam said, the story doesn't end in this series so don't let it dissuade you from reading this. Actually, novel-wise, the story is planned to comprise 15 chapters (6 chapters/12 volumes current published) and this manga just covers the first one. So if you find yourself wanting more and impatient to wait for the scanlation, you can read the novel.

For those people giving this manga lower ratings because it "suddenly" ends, please, at least attempt to do a little research before spouting nonsense like "and then the manga was OVER. Like, wut." This manga only covers the first arc of the story, the "Enrollment Arc". Its sequel, "Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei - Kyuukousen Hen ", covers the second arc, "Nine Schools Competition". This format (make a manga out of every story arc) isn't something uncommon or rare in manga, since many popular series (like Umineko and Higurashi) do this.

In fact, the last page of the manga itself makes pretty clear that it has a sequel since it reads: Next time, start of the "Nine Schools battle arc"!! so I don't know how anyone could miss that, for Heaven's sake.

All that I understood about his secret was that it had to do with his aura or something.

I wanted to learn more what he's angsting about, but instead I get chapters of him just showing how badass he was (which was okay at first, but weren't particularly interesting) and then getting involved in some terrorist plot, and the manga was OVER. Like, wut.

Interesting take on magic, but has a tendency to info-dump (show, not tell). Despite not being ecchi, I was mildly miffed by the unnecessary fanservicing, especially that one random chapter at the beach (I think it was an extra, so that somewhat forgivable). The discrimination aspects were overdone, in my opinion. Rather cliched in its presentation. Subtler would have been more effective and truer to real life.

BTW, to the person saying read the novel. Screw that. I'm here to read a manga, not a novel. I'm rating a manga here, and not a novel. If the manga fails to deliver without support from an outside reference, be it novel or anime, it fails as a manga. Maybe the novel is a million times better, but the manga still sucks and cannot stand on its own.

EDIT: If I didn't like the prequel, I don't think I even have the inclination to read the sequel. Even ignoring the fact that nothing was really resolved, I would have been less upset if the plot of this "arc" was actually interesting and added to the overall story. There was really no point other than having the characters show off and hint at some evil organization. *Yawn* Been there, done that. Unless someone manages to convince me the sequel isn't the same boring teasing bull, I've got better things to do.

Well, looking at my title, I honestly want to compare this Manga to One-Man-Punch for showing my dislikes about this Manga. Good point first: The art is definitely good, this is the main reason why I still enjoy reading this manga; The plot is somehow... above-average (a little). Combining magic and art-of-states technology setting, the executions of story is rather weak, and (too-)detailed info about the magic cannot help it (I use To Aru Majutsu No Index as a benchmark). Well, that's allThe bad point is... unlike one-man-punch which is truly one-man-show manga (in a unique and very funny way)... this manga can't capture my heart. Why? I see it because the protagonist is too perfect while he's surrounded by many allies. Why bother introducing many allies (which each has their unique power), while the problems can be solved by the too-perfect protagonist? I dunno... I have to admit that I havent read the novel, but regarding the bad point that I have mentioned, I expect that the interaction of the MC and non-MC will relied only on dull "friendship" thing. But well, I must see through the end because I saw many great appreciation towards the novel. I'll wait and see and update my comment when I see necessary...

Comment Update: Huh? The manga is over (thanks for silverstorm's info) Is that all Well, I guess this is the feeling when we have a great expectation which differ (very much) with reality. Ugh... my heart...

...is that is contradicts itself. Granted, I haven't read the entire novel - I did try, but fell asleep halfway through the descriptions of all the beautiful women - but the primary antagonist of this manga is an organization that fights in the (nominal) name of equality for the underdog, using underhanded methods. The protagonists fight to maintain the status quo more or less the way it is, with some minor concessions.

However, right from the start the disparity between "Weeds" and "Blooms" is thrown into our faces. The main character is snubbed to the point that he's attacked, for simply being a Weed and wanting to walk home with his little sister. Course 1 students look down on Course 2 students all the time. Now, the author makes a valid point that there has to be some sort of division of talent, and that in a magic-specialized school it would be more obvious. But the writing of the story is so utterly biased toward whatever side the protagonist is on that it seems as though the author expects us to overlook the fact that yes, there IS an equality problem in the school, and no, they're NOT doing nearly enough to address it... while simultaneously sympathizing with the poor main character, who keeps getting picked on by jerks. This "well, if you don't have talent or come from a good family then that's too bad" mentality is exactly why, with the exception of a few, the hungry remain poor and the wealthy remain rich.

And just to illustrate my point, one of the good guys uses his family's power to hush all coverage of certain incidents.

Also, I would just like to say that there is nothing wrong with the release of information to the public. Transparency is one of the biggest things that keeps large organizations honest. Open source code is GOOD code. Blanche was committing a crime by attempting to steal this information, instead of coming by it in a more legal manner, but there was nothing particularly wrong with their goal, only their means.

TL,DR; This manga is well-drawn and fun enough to pass the time with, but the author doesn't have a clear idea of the message he wants to convey.